Ukraine attacked Moscow with at least 34 drones, the largest drone attack on the Russian capital since the war began in 2022, forcing the diversion of flights from three of the city’s main airports and wounding at least five people.
Russian air defenses destroyed another 50 drones over other regions of western Russia on Sunday (local time), the Defense Ministry said.
“The Kiev regime’s attempt to carry out a terrorist attack using aerial-type drones on the territory of the Russian Federation was foiled,” the ministry said.
Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency said Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo and Zhukovsky airports diverted at least 36 flights but then resumed operations.
Five people were injured in the Moscow region, the Defense Ministry said.
Moscow and the surrounding region, with a population of at least 21 million, are one of Europe’s largest metropolitan areas along with Istanbul.
For its part, Russia launched a record 145 drones overnight, Ukraine said.
Ukrainian officials said the country’s air defenses shot down 62.
Ukraine also said it had attacked an arsenal in Russia’s Bryansk region, reporting that 14 drones were shot down in the region.
An unverified video shared on Russian Telegram channels showed drones buzzing across the horizon.
The Trump presidency and the Russia-Ukraine war
The two-and-a-half-year war in Ukraine is entering what some officials say could be its final act, after Russian forces advanced at the fastest pace since the early days of the war and Donald Trump was elected 47th president of Ukraine. the United States.
Trump, who takes office in January, said on the campaign trail that he could bring peace to Ukraine within 24 hours, but gave few details about how he will try to do so.
When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Trump to congratulate him on his victory in the presidential election, Tesla CEO and Trump supporter Elon Musk joined the call, according to media reports.
Musk owns SpaceX, which provides Starlink satellite communications services that are vital to Ukraine’s defense effort.
Ukraine, itself the target of repeated mass drone strikes by Russian forces, has sought to retaliate against its much larger eastern neighbor with repeated drone strikes against Russian oil refineries, airports and even strategic radar stations. early warning.